Tag: rams injuries

Puka Nacua didn’t get hurt on his TD catch. He just ‘threw up’ after landing on the ball.

Puka Nacua was shaken up after his touchdown catch, but not because he was hurt. He just needed to throw up after landing on the ball.

Puka Nacua has given Rams fans far too many scares this season. Between his two knee injuries in training camp and Week 1, and then his third in practice before Week 9, he’s seemed to get banged up throughout the year.

He appeared to get hurt again on Sunday against the Patriots when he landed hard on his 12-yard touchdown catch in the end zone. He was slow to get up and was looked at by trainers on the field before going into the medical tent for further evaluation.

He returned on the Rams’ next drive, so everything checked out fine, and Sean McVay explained what actually happened during his postgame press conference.

“They were just being cautious with him because he threw up,” McVay said. “He fell on the ball and he’s crazy like that. There wasn’t anything with his head so he’s OK.”

Nacua is building an unfortunate history of throwing up. He puked on the sidelines during a game last season, threw up repeatedly on Cooper Kupp’s lawn while they were working out this summer and now this.

It’s not his fault he landed on the ball and made what was a spectacular catch. It just happened to be the way he went to the ground.

All that matters is he’s good to go after another 100-yard performance.

Rob Havenstein injury update: Latest news on Rams RT for Week 10

Rams RT Rob Havenstein suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks and is expected to miss at least one game

Just when the Los Angeles Rams were starting to get healthy, they were dealt another blow along the offensive line. Right tackle Rob Havenstein suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks and was unable to return.

Sean McVay didn’t have an update on the lineman after the game, but he provided further clarity on Havenstein’s status during his media session on Monday.

Rob Havenstein injury update

McVay told reporters that Havenstein is expected to miss Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins with his ankle injury. McVay did say “it’s nothing that’s IR,” indicating that Havenstein won’t be placed on injured reserve.

How long will Rob Havenstein be out?

Considering the Rams don’t expect to put Havenstein on IR, it’s expected that he’ll miss fewer than four games. McVay didn’t have an exact timeline for the right tackle’s return, but he shouldn’t miss more than three games – and it’s possible he’ll only miss the Rams’ next game.

Rams RT depth chart

The good news is that Joe Noteboom is expected to play against the Dolphins after missing the last seven games with an ankle injury of his own. He should be the replacement for Havenstein at right tackle, though Warren McClendon Jr. is also a candidate to fill in.

Rams will have to wait at least another week to get these key starters back from IR

Sean McVay doesn’t expect Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III to play this week

Puka Nacua made a surprising return from injured reserve last week after only turning in one practice but no one should expect a similar situation to play out with Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III this week.

All three of those key starters are currently on injured reserve and eligible to come back at any time, but none of them have even been designated to return from practice. As a result, Sean McVay doesn’t see a scenario where they play this weekend against the Seahawks.

“Not this week. I don’t expect any changes in their status,” McVay said Wednesday.

Avila has been sidelined with a knee injury since Week 1, while Jackson and Johnson both suffered shoulder injuries in Week 2 against the Cardinals. There could be a chance they return next week when the Rams host the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, but for now, they’ll remain on injured reserve.

Rams place LB Troy Reeder on IR with hamstring injury

Troy Reeder will miss the Rams’ next four games with a hamstring injury after landing on IR

Troy Reeder was already ruled out for Week 8 but he’ll now miss three additionally games, too. On Thursday, the Rams placed Reeder on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

He missed practice all week and was ruled out Wednesday, so the Rams have prepared to be without him in this game.

Reeder has started all six games so far this season and was the defensive signal caller, wearing the green dot as the guy relaying the calls to the rest of the defense.

The Rams haven’t said who will replace him as the signal caller, but one candidate is Quentin Lake.

With Reeder out, Christian Rozeboom is expected to take on a larger role at linebacker, with Omar Speights and Jake Hummel potentially getting an opportunity on defense, too.

Report: Cooper Kupp unlikely to play today vs. Raiders

Cooper Kupp is unlikely to play today against the Raiders but the Rams still want to work him out pre-game before deciding on his status

There’s been hope all week that Cooper Kupp will be able to play against the Las Vegas Raiders today but it doesn’t seem he’ll be making his awaited return.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Kupp is unlikely to play for the Los Angeles Rams today as he continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. The Rams will still work Kupp out pre-game before making a final decision on his status, but as of now, he’s not expected to go against the Raiders.

Assuming Kupp misses his fourth straight game, the Rams will continue to roll with Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington as their top three receivers.

https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1847931426001293376

If Kupp sits out today, he’ll have a chance to return against the Vikings in the Rams’ next game, which is a quick turnaround on Thursday night.

Before getting injured, Kupp caught 18 passes in the first two games, once again looking like Matthew Stafford’s top target on offense.

Rams won’t activate OL Joe Noteboom from IR this week

Joe Noteboom will miss his fifth straight game with an ankle injury as the Rams will not activate him from IR this week

Joe Noteboom will have to wait another week to return from injured reserve. Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that the Los Angeles Rams will not activate Noteboom this week as he attempts to work his way back from an ankle injury suffered in Week 1.

Noteboom practiced all week but was limited, so it appears he’s not yet ready to return to game action. Alaric Jackson has been manning left tackle and is expected to continue doing so even when Noteboom returns.

The Rams’ offensive line is finally getting some cohesion up front with Jackson, Logan Bruss, Beaux Limmer, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein, but Noteboom would provide valuable depth to the group as the sixth lineman – or potentially as the starting left guard in place of Bruss.

With Noteboom missing Sunday’s game, the next opportunity for him to play is next Thursday against the Vikings. The Rams only have three weeks to decide whether to activate him so he’s expected to return at some point in that time period.

Sean McVay gives update on Cooper Kupp’s status for Week 7 vs. Raiders

Sean McVay says Cooper Kupp is questionable to play against the Raiders and the decision will likely come on Sunday morning

Cooper Kupp returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 2 but Sean McVay still isn’t sure if the All-Pro receiver will play on Sunday afternoon against the Raiders.

McVay told reporters Friday that Kupp will be limited in practice again and the Rams are going to list him as questionable to play. The decision on Kupp will come closer to the game, likely on Sunday morning.

With three days of practice, it’s possible Kupp will be able to play against the Raiders but McVay isn’t yet ready to commit to him being available. Kupp sprained his ankle in Week 2 and has missed the last three games as a result.

In his first two games of the season, Kupp caught a total of 18 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown, looking like the All-Pro receiver he was in 2021. He was hampered by a hamstring injury last season but after an offseason of being fully healthy, he was poised to bounce back in a big way.

Unfortunately, this ankle injury has caused him to miss time but even if he doesn’t return this weekend, he has a good chance to be back next Thursday when the Rams host the Vikings.

Joe Noteboom returns to practice for first time since injuring ankle in Week 1

The Rams designated Joe Noteboom to return on Wednesday, giving him a chance to be activated as early as this week

Joe Noteboom was one of the many players to get injured in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Lions but he’s in line to be the first to return. Sean McVay said Wednesday that the Rams opened his 21-day practice window, allowing Noteboom to practice for the first time since going on IR after that Week 1 loss.

Noteboom can now be activated at any time and the Rams must do so in the next three weeks. After the team waived Geron Christian on Tuesday, it seems likely that Noteboom will be activated soon.

McVay said Noteboom will be listed as a limited participant on Wednesday after going through a successful workout Monday, just as Cooper Kupp did.

Noteboom injured his ankle in that Week 1 loss and had to be carted to the locker room. It’s the latest injury for the versatile offensive lineman, who has missed multiple games for the sixth consecutive season.

Cooper Kupp had a ‘positive workout’ Monday, could play this weekend

Cooper Kupp had a “positive workout” on Monday and has a chance to play this weekend against the Raiders, per Ian Rapoport

Cooper Kupp has been out since spraining his ankle in Week 2 and while it was always viewed as a multi-week injury, the Rams opted not to place him on IR because they believed there was a chance he could return before having to miss four games.

Having missed the last three games, Kupp is on track to potentially return this weekend against the Raiders. Sean McVay isn’t saying with any level of certainty that Kupp will play, but he’s trending in the right direction.

According to Ian Rapoport, Kupp had a “positive workout” on Monday afternoon and has a chance to suit up against the Raiders. McVay emphasized the importance of Monday’s workout so it’s a good sign that the session went well.

If Kupp does return to the starting lineup this weekend, it’ll provide a big boost to an offense that’s been sorely missing him. Puka Nacua remains out and McVay said he’s still “a little bit of ways away” but the return of Kupp will be a welcome one.

Kickoff between the Rams and Raiders is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

Rams shouldn’t rush Cooper Kupp back from his ankle injury

Cooper Kupp may have an ideal return date in mind but here’s why the Rams should elect not to rush him back from an ankle sprain

On Monday, Sean McVay made a public announcement pertaining to the return of wide receiver Cooper Kupp, stating that Week 7 is the “ideal target” for him to be back on the field with the Rams. McVay also cited words like “by no means is that guaranteed” and called Week 7 an “optimistic target date.”

McVay’s skepticism instilled zero confidence in the idea that Kupp would be 100 percent come Week 7. And even if he is, the Rams should not play him.

Kupp has reached a certain point where the clock on his career has an actual estimate of an end. Though Kupp has the potential to be a productive receiver for another 4-5 years, the injuries are adding up and another could set him back even further.

The season is already rapidly going downhill and his return does little to fix the problems plaguing the Rams. While the opportunity to rewrite the season remains, it won’t be worth it if Kupp picks up an injury and misses any potential playoff run.

The Rams need to take their time with him and push that target date back until words like “optimistic” become confirmed. He’s only four weeks removed from an ankle sprain that required him to be in a cast, so it’s not as if this was merely a minor injury.